Annual Public Notices

Federal Law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires that all school districts report the professional teaching qualification of teachers to the public.

The Ferndale Area School District’s professional personnel are all highly qualified teachers (100%). This means that every teacher has a college degree in the courses they teach and are certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education with a teaching license. Additionally, all paraprofessionals (teacher aides) in the Ferndale Area School District are highly qualified (100%). This means that every teacher aide has a college degree and/or is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education with a Paraprofessional Credential of Competency certificate. All of our teachers and teacher aides receive professional development annually in their areas of study to continually update their knowledge and skills.

All instructional materials, including teachers’ manuals, audiovisuals, or other supplementary instructional material, used in the instructional program shall be available for inspection by the parents or students in accordance with Board policy. Instructional materials do not include tests or academic assessments. Parents and students (age 18 and over) have a right to access information about the curriculum, including expected student learning outcomes, instructional materials and assessment techniques.

If you would like to receive additional information about any teachers or paraprofessional aides who work with your child, please contact the Superintendent’s Office at (814) 535-1507.

AttendanceThe Board requires that school age students enrolled in district schools attend school regularly, in accordance with state laws. The educational program offered by the district is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation in order for students to achieve academic standards and consistent educational progress. Attendance shall be required of all students enrolled in district schools during the days and hours that school is in session. For more information and/or to see the full board policy on attendance, please refer to Policy No. 204 Attendance.

Enrollment of Students The Board shall enroll school age students eligible to attend district schools, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, Board policy and administrative regulations. School age shall be defined as the period from the earliest admission age for the district’s kindergarten program until graduation from high school or the end of the school term in which a student reaches the age of twenty-one (21) years, whichever occurs first. District of residence shall be defined as the school district in which a student's parents/guardians reside. For more information and/or to see the full board policy on enrollment of students, please refer to Policy No. 200 Enrollment of Students.

Homeless Each year, more than 800,000 school-age children in the United States experience homelessness. The Ferndale Area School District is required to provide activities for, and services to, homeless children, including preschool-age homeless children and youths, enabling them to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school or preschool programs. The law states that, pending resolution of a dispute about school placement, a school district must immediately enroll a homeless student in the student’s school of origin or other school selected on the basis of the child’s best interest. Homeless students are defined as individuals lacking a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, which include the following conditions: sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason; living in motels, hotels, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; living in emergency, transitional or domestic violence shelters; abandoned in hospitals; awaiting foster care placement; using public or private places not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings, as a primary nighttime residence; living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation stations or similar settings; living as migratory children in conditions described in previous examples; living as run-away children, abandoned or forced out of homes by parents/guardians or caretakers, or separated from parents/guardians for any other reason; and living as school age parents/guardians in houses for school age parents/guardians if they have no other living accommodations.

If you know of a child/student who may be homeless, please call any of the school offices and notify staff there, who will follow up on your concern. For more information on homeless education and/or to see the full board policy on homeless students, please refer to the Homeless Education and Policy No. 251 Homeless Students.

Gifted Education The Ferndale Area School District offers gifted support services in both of its buildings. This program focuses on enrichment and acceleration activities that supplement the regular education program. Instructional services are provided through direct instruction, teacher and student consultation, and classroom enrichment. The District conducts a screening process based upon review of all educational records and parent/teacher input to identify students who might qualify for gifted support services. When the data supports the need for a full evaluation, the District will seek parental consent. The evaluation includes observations from school personnel, performance on standardized assessments, review of the student’s academic records, as well as family and teacher input. If the results of the gifted evaluation indicate that the student meets the Chapter 16 criteria as an individual who is in need of gifted support services, the gifted support team meets and develops a Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP). Parents who believe that their child might be in need of gifted support services should send a written request for evaluation to the building principal.

Copies of parent rights and confidentiality issues are routinely provided to parents with the permission to evaluate and are also available to parents upon request. Parents who need more information about gifted educational programs and services or parental due process rights are encouraged to contact Christian Giannone, Ferndale Area School Psychologist, at 814-539-6168. For more information on gifted education and/or to see the full board policy, please refer to the Gifted Education and Policy No. 114 Gifted Education.

Migrant Students The Board establishes a program to address the needs and provide appropriate services to migrant students attending district schools. The district shall provide materials to parents/guardians regarding their role in improving the academic achievement of their child. For more information on migrant education and/or to see the full board policy on migrant students, please refer to Migrant Education and Policy No. 142 Migrant Students.

Food Services The Board recognizes that students require adequate, nourishing food and beverages in order to grow, learn and maintain good health. The food service program shall be operated in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations, as well as federal guidelines established by the Child Nutrition Division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The district shall ensure that, in the operation of the food service program, no student, staff member, or other individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability. For more information on food services and/or to see the full board policy, please refer to Food Services and Policy No. 808 Food Services.

School Wellness Ferndale Area School District recognizes that student wellness and proper nutrition are related to students’ physical well-being, growth, development, and readiness to learn. The Board is committed to providing a school environment that promotes student wellness, proper nutrition, nutrition education and promotion, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning experience. In a healthy school environment, students will learn about and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices that can improve student achievement. For more information on the school wellness policy; the most recent triennial assessment; how to participate in the development, implementation and periodic review and update of the School Wellness policy; and how to contact Wellness Committee leadership, please refer to School Wellness and Policy No. 246 School Wellness.

Tobacco Use/Possession The Board recognizes that tobacco use by students presents a health and safety hazard that can have serious consequences for both users and nonusers and the safety and environment of the schools. The Board prohibits tobacco use and possession by students at any time in a school building and on any property, buses, vans and vehicles that are owned, leased or controlled by the school district. The Board prohibits tobacco use and possession by students at school-sponsored activities that are held on or off school property (day or night). The Board prohibits tobacco use and possession by students when they represent the school (i.e. work study program, seminars, school visits, field trips, or any similar event). Ferndale Area School District is a Smoke-Free District. It is the policy of the Ferndale Area School District that all buildings, property (including sidewalks and parking areas), outdoor fixed seating areas, vehicles owned or contracted and other designated areas of the Ferndale Area School District are designated to be tobacco free environments. For more information and/or to see the full board policies on tobacco use/possession, please refer to Policies No. 222, 323, 423, 523 Tobacco Use/Possession.

Interscholastic Athletics The Board recognizes the value of a program of interscholastic athletics as an integral part of the total school experience for all district students and as a conduit for community involvement. It shall be the policy of the Board to offer opportunities for participation in interscholastic athletic programs to male and female students on as equal a basis as is practicable and without discrimination, in accordance with law and regulations. The availability of the completed Interscholastic Athletics Disclosure Forms is available for public inspection during regular business hours and posted on the district’s website under the Athletics tab.